Christmas Came Early
by princessscout91589
Summary: Syd and Vaughn go on a mission to shut down a Project Christmas facility and discover a lot more than they came to find. **CHAPTER 2 NOW UP**
1. Home Life

Christmas Came Early  
  
Hey everyone! This is a fic I thought up the other day, I hope you like it. It's sorta AU, but it will be before Phase One. Syd and Vaughn are not together (yet). In fact, I'm having Vaughn still be with Alice. Please R&R.  
  
Summary: Syd and Vaughn go on a mission to shut down a Project Christmas facility and discover a lot more than they came to find.   
  
Author: Princessscout91589  
  
E-mail: Freelancerangel1@aol.com  
Chapter One: Home Life  
  
I wanted Project Christmas gone and destroyed. It had ruined my life, and I would not let it ruin anyone else's life. My father had called me earlier and said they found another facility for it, and that Vaughn and I would be raiding it tomorrow. I was on my way to the warehouse now to talk about the mission. I pulled up and walked in. As expected, he was waiting on a bench inside.   
"Hey." He said as I entered.  
"Hi. You heard about the mission?"  
"Yeah. So, where is this facility, anyway?"  
"From what my dad told me, it's in North Korea."  
"Why there?"  
"Couldn't tell you. I guess we're just gonna go in and shut it down."  
"Sounds simple enough." He smiled again. I checked my watch and saw I had twenty minutes before I had to be home.  
"So, what's new?" He laughed at the sudden subject change.  
"Where did that come from?"  
"Well, you always listen when I talk about my life, I wanna hear about yours for once."  
"Okay." He laughed again. "My mom's coming into town. She's been living in France for the past two years, so I haven't seen her."  
"That's awesome."  
"Yeah, it'll be great to see her."  
"No, I mean it's awesome that she lives in France, it's gorgeous there." He looked at me bewildered and I broke out laughing. "Wow, you really can't take a joke, can you?"  
"Very funny."  
"Well, I'm glad you like my sense of humor."  
"Yeah, well, Alice and I are going to dinner with her tonight." Crap, he had to bring that up. I smiled as best I could, but this was still killing me.  
"I'd love to stay and see how many times I can catch you with sarcasm, but Francie is making dinner and doesn't want me to be late. She flips when she has to wait too long to eat."  
"And this is the master chef? How does she do her job if she's always hungry?"  
"Sure perseverance! See you tomorrow. We'll meet here about 11?"  
"Sounds great." I turned and walked out, relieved to be out of there. Sure, I was glad that he was happy with Alice, but I still had a slight bit of jealousy deep inside. I was kinda ashamed to admit it, but I wished I were in her place. I'm usually not the jealous type, but this was definitely one of my worse moments. I pulled into my driveway, happy to be home with my friends. I walked in and smelled something amazing.  
"Francie, what have you been doing? It smells wonderful in here."  
"It's pasta, and yes, it is one of my better meals." I ran into the kitchen and swept her into a big hug.  
"Thank god for you, girl!"  
"You had a bad day, didn't you?"  
"How can you tell?"  
"You're thanking god for dinner. It's that guy, isn't it?"  
"Yeah. But, before I start, let's sit down." We grabbed two plates and glasses of milk, and then sat down.  
"Okay, spill."  
"He started talking about his mom coming into town and I was having a great conversation. Then, he said how he and his girlfriend were going to dinner with her."  
"Ouch, this guy has no sense of tact. Forget the whole comment thing, what's this guy look like?"  
"He's got sandy blonde hair, and these brilliant green eyes. When he looks at you, it's like he can see right through you. He's always really sweet, especially when we have to go on trips for work. He watches out for me, kind of like a guardian angel." I giggled after I said that, remembering the time I called Vaughn that.  
"Good lord, girl, you're totally stuck on him."  
"The problem is, I think I'm a little bit jealous of the other girl."  
"You? Jealous? This must be a first."  
"I know, but I've never felt like this, other than with Danny. I, just, well I don't know."  
"I say you tell this, what did you day his name was?"  
"Michael."  
"Tell Michael that you like him."  
"Francie, I couldn't. We work together, it wouldn't even be allowed. Plus, if he doesn't like me back, things could get awkward. We work together a lot, so it would be weird."  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, I really hope things work out."  
"I have a trip tomorrow, England."  
"Foreign client?"  
"Yeah, it'll probably be all day. I don't know when I'll be home."  
"Have fun. Will and I are going to dinner. The restaurant's doing so well, we wanted to celebrate."  
"Good to know you won't be desolate without me." I laughed as I picked up my plate. "I better go pack." I walked into my room and began to throw a couple things into a small bag. I probably wouldn't need them, but who knows. I threw in some nice pants and a shirt, you know, just in case. Oh, come on, I told myself, it'll never happen. Here's to wishing. I laid the bag on the floor, then plopped down on my bed and fell right asleep.   
  
The next morning…  
  
I awoke to the sun streaming through my window. I checked the clock: 8:00. I got up and wandered into the kitchen. Will was sitting by the counter, sipping a cup of coffee.  
"'Morning, Will."  
"Hey, Syd. Francie tells me you have another trip today."  
"Yeah, I told her I was going to England, but I'm actually going to North Korea. There's a Project Christmas training facility there, so Vaughn and I are going to shut it down."  
"Sounds enthralling."  
"Should be." I said, rolling my eyes. "I just don't want any more kids going through what I had to."  
"Well, you better get going. I'll see you later."  
"Yeah, see you." I walked into the bathroom and took a nice long shower. I thought about what Francie had said earlier. Sure, I wanted to tell Vaughn I liked him, but I couldn't. I wouldn't tell him. For now, I would just have to hope that Alice would disappear.  
  
AN: Okay, so there's the first chapter. I know it's short and kinda slow, but I'm starting the next chapter right off with Syd and Vaughn going to North Korea. It WILL get better!! Please R&R!! 


	2. One Bright Moment

I arrived at the warehouse promptly at 11. Vaughn's car, of course, was waiting outside. I walked in and found him leaning against one of the feces, eating a sandwich.  
"Nice to see you, too."  
"Sorry, I haven't eaten in 15 hours."  
"I thought you were having dinner with Alice and your mother."  
"I was, until Alice called and broke up with me." Okay, I had two choices here. A. Swoop in. B. Be an actual good friend and comfort him. B won.  
"Oh my gosh, Vaughn, I'm so sorry." I gave him a sympathetic smile, which he returned. "What happened?"  
"She got transferred with her job and wanted me to go with her."  
"Where was she moving?"  
"Orlando, Florida. I said that I had to stay here, my life is here." He looked right into my eyes, sending a chill down my spine.   
"But, she just upped and asked you to move?"  
"Yeah, it seemed weird to me, too."  
"Moving's a big thing. I'm surprised she expected so much."  
"That's what I thought. She said we've been together for a year, so she thought it wouldn't be a big deal."  
"Well, speaking of moving," I said, desperately trying to change the subject, "We better get going."  
"You're right. Hey Syd?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thanks for listening."  
"Anytime, Vaughn. Like you told me, when you're at your lowest, most depressed moments, you have my number." I smiled again.  
"I'll see you at headquarters." I walked out, happy that I could help him. I guess right then, we had one bright moment together. No work, no SD-6, no mission, just us.  
When I got to headquarters, my father was waiting for me.   
"Is Agent Vaughn coming?"   
"Yeah, I just talked with him at the warehouse."  
"Good. You two are clear on what you're to do?"  
"Yeah. We go in, download the files, find who's running the place, kill him, and then get out. If it's late, we find a hotel and get a room." He shot me a look. "Like I said, we get two rooms." He nodded.  
"There's a plane waiting whenever Vaughn gets here."  
"Okay, I'll talk to you when you get back."  
  
On the plane…  
  
Vaughn and I changed into our disguises on the plane there. We were to go in as two recruiters from an agency in Russia who were looking for new agents. I changed into a black dress with a red shawl. I also got a long, wavy, strawberry blonde wig. Vaughn changed into a suit and used a spray dye to change his hair to a dark brown. We talked on the plane about what we'd say and do. After a while, though, we got to talking about our "normal" life.  
"I'm thinking about getting another dog." Vaughn said randomly.  
"What about Donovan?"  
"He gets lonely when I'm away on missions."  
"Is he, hmm, how do I say this without sounding disgusting? Is he fixed?" Vaughn broke out laughing.  
"No, I never got around too it."  
"Then why don't you get a female, maybe around his age. It's kinda sad to have a bachelor dog." For a moment, Vaughn looked a little spaced, then he came back to earth.  
"Yeah, that's a great idea. He needs a girlfriend." I laughed.  
"I think that would make him really happy."  
"So, have you ever had any pets?"  
"I had a hamster when I was nine."  
"A hamster?"  
"He was white and black, so I named him Oreo. He died a week later because I overfed him." Vaughn and I both broke out laughing this time. "I even buried it in our backyard. My dad thought I was crazy."  
"I had something like that, except it was a mouse."  
"You had a mouse?"  
"Yeah, I know, weird. My dad took me out to the pet shop and thought it was the cutest, so I got it. I named it Fred."  
"Fred?"  
"I don't know, the name sounded appealing at the time. He died after a month. I made him a gravestone and everything."   
"Man, we must've been pretty pathetic kids." He smiled.  
"So, you ready to go in and look like serious bad guys?"  
"Let's go."  
  
NORTH KOREA  
  
We walked into the facility without a problem. They were expecting two recruiters, and we were two "recruiters". The headman himself met us at the door.  
"Ah, you two are right on time. I am Jeffrey Veltier. If you'll step this way, I'll show you our training area." We followed him down a long hallway until we reached a glass window. Down below was what I had seen before: rows of desks with small students sitting there.  
"How young do you recruit children?" I asked casually.  
"We do specific tests on different ages. Usually five-to-six year olds are the best. The latest we take children is first grade."  
"When are the children called back for agent training?"  
"After they finish high school, we find them before they enter college." I decided that now would be the best time to put our plan into action.  
"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but would you be able to point me to the nearest bathroom?" Vaughn knew that was my cue that I was going to download the files.  
"Ah, yes. Go back to the front door, then take the left hallway. It should be the second door on the left."  
"Thank you so much." I walked away, leaving Vaughn to fend for himself. I clicked on my headset that was in the earrings I was wearing. "This is Mountaineer, I'm away from Veltier."  
"Good job, Mountaineer. Take the left hallway, fourth door on the right. Door pass code is 72689." My dad said through the earpiece.  
"Copy, 72689." I reached the door and typed in the code. It opened to reveal a room full of computers. "I'm in."  
"Good, go to the computer closest to the door. Password is 9284662."  
"Okay, got it." I went to the computer and typed in the code. A screen popped up asking what drive I wanted to download from. Well, these people know how to get down to business. I clicked on "All Files" and then clicked enter. "Files are downloading. How's Vaughn doing?"  
"Hold on, I'll switch you over to his line. Will you be alright without radio contact with us?"  
"Yeah, we can take this place down easy. I just have to talk to Vaughn about what to do next."  
"Okay, switching you over, good luck, Mountaineer." I heard a click, then heard Vaughn's voice.  
"So, how many children do you have in training right now?"  
"Only the ones you see here. We only train eight children at a time so that each child can get maximum attention."  
"Vaughn, I'm downloading the information. I'll be back in two minutes. Cough if you hear me." I heard an indistinct cough on the other end. "See you in a few." I went to pull the disk out of the computer. As I grabbed the disk, though, an alarm went off. I heard Veltier curse on the other end, then a gunshot.  
"Well, Syd, I covered knocking off Veltier."  
"Okay, I'll meet you at the exit in a second." I opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. I was right about to start for the door when I felt the barrel of a gun press against my head.  
"Freeze." 


End file.
